Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1170 of 16 July 2015 adding to the 2015 fishing quotas certain quantities withheld in the year 2014 pursuant to Article 4(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 847/96

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 847/96 of 6 May 1996 introducing additional conditions for year-to-year management of TACs and quotas (1), and in particular Article 4(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) According to Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96, Member States may ask the Commission, before 31 October of the year of application of a fishing quota allocated to them, to withhold a maximum of 10 % of that quota to be transferred to the following year. The Commission is to add to the relevant quota the quantity withheld.

(2) Council Regulations (EU) No 1262/2012 (2), (EU) No 1180/2013 (3), (EU) No 24/2014 (4), and (EU) No 43/2014 (5) fix fishing quotas for certain stocks for 2014 and specify which stocks may be subject to the measures provided for in Regulation (EC) No 847/96.

(3) Council Regulations (EU) No 1221/2014 (6), (EU) No 1367/2014 (7), (EU) 2015/104 (8) and (EU) 2015/106 (9) fix fishing quotas for certain stocks for 2015.

(4) Certain Member States have requested, before 31 October 2014, pursuant to Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96, that part of their quotas for 2014 be withheld and transferred to the following year. Within the limits indicated in that Regulation, the quantities withheld should be added to the quotas for 2015.

(5) On 6 August 2014, the Russian Federation imposed an embargo on the importation of certain agricultural and fisheries products from the Union. In view of those exceptional circumstances, Regulation (EU) No 1221/2014 amended Regulations (EU) No 43/2014 and (EU) No 1180/2013 in respect of stocks that were the most severely or directly affected. The amendment provided for the transfer of an increased percentage of quantities not used in 2014 to the quotas allocated for such stocks in 2015. Those quotas benefited therefore already from an exceptional transfer and are excluded from the scope of this Regulation.

(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The fishing quotas fixed for 2015 in Regulations (EU) No 1221/2014, (EU) No 1367/2014 and (EU) 2015/104 are increased as set out in the Annex.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 16 July 2015.

For the Commission The President Jean-Claude JUNCKER

(1) OJ L 115, 9.5.1996, p. 3.

(2) Council Regulation (EU) No 1262/2012 of 20 December 2012 fixing for 2013 and 2014 the fishing opportunities for EU vessels for certain deep-sea fish stocks (OJ L 356, 22.12.2012, p. 22).

(3) Council Regulation (EU) No 1180/2013 of 19 November 2013 fixing for 2014 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea (OJ L 313, 22.11.2013, p. 4).

(4) Council Regulation (EU) No 24/2014 of 10 January 2014 fixing for 2014 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks in the Black Sea (OJ L 9, 14.1.2014, p. 1).

(5) Council Regulation (EU) No 43/2014 of 20 January 2014 fixing for 2014 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, to Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters (OJ L 24, 28.1.2014, p. 1).

(6) Council Regulation (EU) No 1221/2014 of 10 November 2014 fixing for 2015 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulations (EU) No 43/2014 and (EU) No 1180/2013 (OJ L 330, 15.11.2014, p. 16).

(7) Council Regulation (EU) No 1367/2014 of 15 December 2014 fixing for 2015 and 2016 the fishing opportunities for Union fishing vessels for certain deep-sea fish stocks (OJ L 366, 20.12.2014, p. 1).

(8) Council Regulation (EU) 2015/104 of 19 January 2015 fixing for 2015 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters, amending Regulation (EU) No 43/2014 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 779/2014 (OJ L 22, 28.1.2015, p. 1).

(9) Council Regulation (EU) 2015/106 of 19 January 2015 fixing for 2015 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks in the Black Sea (OJ L 19, 24.1.2015, p. 8).